This will not be easy.
We can easily get caught up in our current events. Hatred is an all-time high. Biblical morals are at an all-time low.
Americans are vocally showing their hatred for Christians and anything different from them.
Religious zealots around the world are looking to kill and destroy Christians and anything associated with them.
Our government often acts like it is paralyzed. At best, it is doing nothing. At worst, is the cause of the problems.
These thoughts were written almost 70 years ago. This was from a pastor in the 1940’s. [3]
Two other teachers also shared the exact same thoughts. One taught this same message in the 1970’s [6] and the other in the 1990’s [1].
Jesus promises that the world will hate us. The world’s system of belief has been set up by the devil and will always be opposed to Jesus Christ.
During his final time of teaching, Jesus has used the most personal and comforting words to encourage his terrified disciples.
He gave encouragement:
- He will be glorified (magnified) and God the Father will be glorified in him (John 13:31-32, see here).
- He will come back for us like a bridegroom returning for his bride (John 14:1-4, see here).
- He is the only way to God (John 14:5-7).
- He will send the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will teach us, guide us, and will never leave us (see here).
- He will answer our prayer (John 14:13-14; John 15:16; John 16:23-24).
- He gives us a peace that is beyond anything the world can offer (John 14:27).
He left instructions:
- Abide in Him (John 15:1-17, see here).
- Love each other (John 13:34-35; John 15:12-17).
He also warned Peter that he did not know his own weakness (John 13:36-38). But there is a greater warning for all of us.
We are to abide in Him and to love each other because the world will be our enemy.
Jesus never promises an easy life. The world will hate those who claim Jesus Christ as Lord. They hated Him and they will hate us when we represent Him.
The world will hate us because we are not part of this world.
The world will hate us because we show them that they are guilty. Jesus came to earth almost 2,000 years ago and they rejected Him. Even today, people still refuse to believe in Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit within us will show Jesus Christ to the world. He will show people their sin of rejecting Jesus Christ. He will either convince them or judge them (see here).
Followers of Jesus will be thrown out social, political, and religious circles. Just like Saul in the New Testament (see here), they will kill Christian men and women, thinking that they are serving God by killing them.
Jesus says, “Remember that I told you, it will get rough”.
So how can we respond to this?
It is popular to curse the darkness. Should we fight back?
Should we live in fear?
Jesus takes the last part of his final sermon to tell his disciples how to respond. These words for them are just as appropriate today. The threats may have changed since Jesus’ day, but the same devil controls the people of the world today as he did 2,000 years ago.
Jesus tells us the following:
Leave them to the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit will convict the people who do not believe in Jesus Christ. As discussed here, the Holy Spirit will show each man and woman the truth about Jesus Christ. It is the Holy Spirit who will convince those who believe, and it is the Holy Spirit who will pass judgment on those who refuse to believe.
It is not for us to personally convince people of Jesus Christ. We need to stay close to Jesus Christ and let the Holy Spirit work through us.
The sorrow is temporary
Jesus was arrested, tortured, and executed while his enemies celebrated. Yet the Roman cross — the instrument of His execution — is our cause for joy. We can look back and see how God used the anguish and sorrow of the cross to defeat death and crush Satan. It is because of this cross that we have hope of life in Jesus Christ.
In the same way, the horrors and the sorrow that we experience today will someday cause us to rejoice. Like the pains of childbirth, Jesus promises that there will be a time when our pain will end and it will be replaced by joy.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
Jesus promises that when he comes back, he will give us joy that no one can take away!
“Sorrow can crush us if we don’t view it as temporary, allowed, and designed for our spiritual growth.” – Stephen Davey [4]
We have direct access to God the Father
We are the friends of God (John 15:15-16). There is no longer any need for parables or figures of speech. We can learn directly about God. We can pray directly to God!
We will fail
It is comforting to know that Jesus predicted that his followers would all run away. They thought they had it all figured out, but they did not know the enemy who is against them.
Jesus knew that they would fail when he gave all of these promises. Not one of these promises were broken by their failure. There is nothing that we can do to break the promises of God!
“I have overcome the world”
We will have tribulation. Literally, this word means to “be pressed together”. We will have distress, affliction, anguish, pressure in this world, but Jesus is greater!
John 16:33
“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
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